Hard Enduro Tire Review For Michelin Extreme, IRC JX-8, IRC VE33S, and Bridgestone Battlecross E50

This is my sxs review from my experience of running a Michelin Extreme, IRC JX-8, IRC VE33S, and a Bridgestone Battlecross E50 tires on my Hard Enduro races. Take from it what you will, everyones experience will be different depending on how you ride where you ride and mousse set up.
A couple things I forgot to talk about is rim locks. I run double rim locks and I'm thinking of running triple even for a more drilled out mousse. I heard from a Cody Webb interview that people run 4 rim locks even. All things I'd like to experiment with.
Really don't have a favorite tire that is a do all tire, but rather I think you run a tire according to where you are riding and how you're riding. That being said the IRC VE33S has been my go to for the area I ride mostly being the backside of the sierras with big sandy hill climbs.

[@ckupczynski]

IRC just announced bigger sizes in the gummy range 140 JX8 and V33 etc you’re gonna be stoked!

[@hardcoreenduro]

Hell yeah. I’ll take the credit lol

[@joeybuckingham7006]

i agree a JX8 in a 140 would be epic!

[@simonbelanger7842]

They just announced it! 140 jx8 and a new 140 wide FIM style tire (kinda like Michelin extreme, Midas, ect)

[@banffdigger]

Check out the Plews extreme mousse seems pretty nice.

[@hardcoreenduro]

Thanks for the info. I’ll look into those

[@jesta.drifter1249]

agree totally! im eastern sierra too and really like the ve33s but jx8 definitely grabs rock more and yep would like them fatter. ill be at donner and gunna try ex91 dunlop with Plews half mousse.

[@hardcoreenduro]

That’s awesome to hear! I wish we would have local clubs put on hard enduros Mammoth needs to put one on. I’ll have to look into that tire and mousse. Hope you have a great race at Donner

[@rehepeks]

Differnet tire specs to make it even more confusing. The 140s width is measured including the lugs. The tires that are sized 110 and 120 usually are measured on carcass so with lugs the 120s are comparable to 140s.

[@hardcoreenduro]

Man that’s like trying to listen to a debate from Joe Biden lol. Thanks for the info, I remember rich Larson saying that tire brands all have their own way of sizing. That’s very interesting I should get out a tape measure and make my own chart of what tires are what sizes do they are all the same scale

[@BraaapoholicBob]

Appreciate your reviews...very well done. Similar to you I also ride SoCal deserts...mainly out by KOH area in Lucerne Valley. IRC tires are great quality and long lasting. For my yearly Colorado trips I run the JX8 and it is absolutely awesome for traction in the rocks and hard pack. For the desert I run the M5B and it seems to work very well for me. I have never tried the VE33. I'm just curious if you have run the M5B and how it compares to the VE33? Thx.

[@hardcoreenduro]

I’ve run the m5b a lot. It’s the best hill climb tire for same and soft dirt. The knobs on that are the biggest on any tire I’ve ever seen. That comes in a 140. It has a harder carcass with stiffer knobs. Great for sandy areas and muddy tracks. Hill climb areas like jawbone and bean canyon or Spangler There’s the ve33 and a ve33s. In the video I’m showing the ve33s tire. It’s same tread pattern as the ve33s just with softer rubber compounds. Only comes in a 110 tho. The knobs are not as big as the m5b. But still on the larger side of knobs sizes. I thinks it’s great for black diamond trails and prologues for races. Because it’s softer tho and depending how much wheel spin you use it will wear out faster than the regular ve33.

[@CoBryan]

Any advice on front tires for gnarly-ish terrain, tree roots rocks. Thanks

[@hardcoreenduro]

I’m running a vx 40 from irc in the front the 90/90 21. It’s a softer compound front tire. With a plushie mousse. It’s made for gripping rocks.

[@CoBryan]

@@hardcoreenduro thanks 👍

[@joeybuckingham7006]

@@CoBryan i run the irc vx30f and we ride rocky rooty trails, 90/90/21 as well, I love this front tire

[@keenanrangel9820]

need me one of those shirts!👍

[@maucina12]

check the best hard enduro riders in the world, even the riders that are not sponsored by michelin very often ride michelin in the back and their sponsored tire in the front

[@OtisFlint]

The best hard enduro riders in the world are competing in FIM competition, so they need a tire with the baby knobs. Michelin is great for that but gives up a lot of soft terrain performance compared to tires with more knob height.

[@maucina12]

@@OtisFlint extreme enduro is fim regulated only from last year. All the years before you could use any tire. But also there are many high level extreme races outside fim and still everyone uses michelin or similiar soft fim tire

[@chadrides914]

To all of us out here in mud country of the Midwest, gummy tires are the absolute worst performing tires ever. Unless it’s summertime and dry.

[@hardcoreenduro]

What are you using for those conditions?

[@chadrides914]

@@hardcoreenduro mitas 754 xt, regular ve33, at81 non ex.

[@ml5955]

Gummy tires in the California Mojave and Arizona Sonoran Deserts are a God send. For off camber, dry, decompose granite, and rocky ledges my set up is Golden Tyre 90/90 up front and the IRC VE33 S Gummy out back with Tubliss front and rear. My brother swears by the soft Nitro mouse up front. 👍

[@KaneSlayer414]

Even in mud I'd prefer the At81ex over the standard. As soon as you hit wet rocks n roots the standard is awful.

[@chadrides914]

@@KaneSlayer414 I’ve run them back to back and the standard 81 defiantly bites better and holds corners better in mud than the ex. Ex outperforms it only in dry conditions or rocky conditions.